The Fortune
by Cathartic Trance
Summary: When Izumi receives a fortune that changes her love life forever, she meets this one boy. He's the perfect guy for her, but will they stay together? Find out... or else! KouzumiRRNo Flames
1. The Fortune Cookie

One Fortune  
  
Written by: Fujiwara Zakuro  
  
Chapter 1: The Fortune Cookie  
  
Disclaimer: I will only say this once... I DON'T OWN DIGIMON!!!!  
  
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Summer holidays were the best things young children could wait for throughout the school year. Today was the end of the summer holidays and many children were making the best of it, especially this young lady. "Mommy, could we go to that restaurant?" a young, blond girl of 8 years said. "Anything for my little Izumi!" the mother said. Izumi skipped happily beside her mother while they walked to the Chinese restaurant. A soft ringing noise sounded when Izumi's mother opened the narrow door. They found a table for two and a young Asian woman appeared at their table right away. "Konnichiwa, ni hao! I'm Xiu Mei. I'll be your waitress for the day! Do you want any drinks or do you want to order right away?" the Asian woman politely and kindly asked. Izumi giggled, for what Xiu Mei said rhymed. "We'll take our orders right away. My little Izumi always wants the same thing whenever she comes to Chinese restaurants." Izumi's mother explained. They made their order and, in short time, the food was already sitting at their table. Izumi was starved, so she wolfed down her noodles and chicken balls. "Now, now. It's not good for you to eat so fast. Why don't you ask for some fortune cookies while I finish my food." Izumi's mother suggested. Izumi nodded and skipped off to the counter. "May I have some fortune cookies, onegai?" Izumi politely asked the cashier, an old Asian man who looked quite happy with his job. "Why, of course!" he chirped in his hoarse voice. She scooped up a few fortune cookies in his hand and dumped them in a clear, plastic bag. He handed Izumi the clear bag of fotune cookies. "There you go, young lady!" the old man said happily. "Arigatou gozaimasou" Izumi bowed and ran back to her mother. While on the way to her mother, Izumi wasn't paying attention to her surroundings and collided with a young boy about her age. They fell on top of eachother. "Get off me." an icy cold voice commanded. "Gomen nasai!" Izumi apologized. She got up and offered her hand to the young boy, but he just shoved it out of the way and got up himself. "I'm able to get up by myself." he said. His voice sent shivers down Izumi's back. His voice was so cold, it seemed that not even the burning hot summer weather could melt it! "Couldn't you be more polite?" Izumi muttered. The cold-voiced boy just glared at her and walked off towards the other end of the restaurant. "Way to ruin my summer!" Izumi muttered under her breath.  
  
"Izumi, are you lright? I saw you collide with that boy, over there." Izumi's mother asked Izumi worriedly. "Yes, but that boy's impolite... and he sounds so emotionless when he speaks. His voice makes me shiver." Izumi complained. "Now, now, it's impolite to speak behind someone else's back." Izumi's mother said. Izumi just nodded and looked in the direction that the impolite boy walked towards. He sat with his father. Izumi saw him looking at her, with those impenetrable blue eyes. He never seemed to show emotion. This was creeping Izumi out, so she jerked her head to face the fortune cookies. 'I might as well start eating these.' Izumi thought. She slipped out one of the cookies from the plastic bag and broke it in half. She took out the fortune and read it aloud. "Love is in your future." she read. "Hmmm... seems like you're destined to be with a boy!" Izumi's mother teased. "Stop joking, mommy! Anyway, this fortune's rubbish!" Izumi said crossly. "You just can't face the truth!" Izumi's mother joked. Izumi chose to ignore these comments and eat her delicious fortune cookie.  
  
When Izumi and her mother returned home, they sat down and watched tv. Izumi's mother remembered something important. "Honey, remember that you have school tomorrow. It'll be your first day in grade 3 at your NEW school." she informed Izumi. Izumi just nodded and went upstairs to pack. 'I must make a good first impression, so they don't think I'm a freak.' Izumi thought while she was ascending the stairs. She entered her room and began packing her pencil case and other school supplies. She prepared her outfit for tomorrow, which was a white t-shirt, a purple vest, purple short and a purple visor. Once she was sure she completed her preparation, she lay down on her bed and took out her fortune. "Love is in your future." she read aloud, again. "It's rubbish!" she convinced herself and dozed off into Slumberland. Yet, little did she know that that fortune was not rubbish at all, but it was her actual future.  
  
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FZ: So, how'd you like it? I hope you R+R, no flames. 


	2. Realizations

One Fortune  
  
Written by: Fujiwara Zakuro  
  
Chapter 2: Realizations  
  
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"Wake up, honey!" Izumi's mother sang out loudly from the kitchen. Izumi groaned and got out of bed. She remembered that she never put on her pajamas yesterday. She made a disgusted look at her clothes, took them off, and put on her robe to take a shower. She hummed a little tune in the shower. When she got out, she blow-dried and brushed her hair and put her clothes on. She admired herself in the mirror before charging downstairs and jumping into the chair by the table. Her breakfast was already cooked. French toast was Izumi's favorite breakfast meal. She wolfed down her meal, called out a jolly thank you and ran upstairs to get her shiny purple schoolbag. (AN: I like shiny things!!!) After, she ran shakily down the stairs since her bag was quite heavy. She slipped on her purple and white runners and hollered out "Bye Mommy!!!" "Wait, Izumi! I want a kiss!" her mother called out from the kitchen and ran down the hall. She pecked Izumi on the cheek and bid her good luck.  
  
Izumi was just in time for the bus. She mounted the long, yellow vehicle and sat in a vacant seat. Most of the bus was full and Izumi sat alone, in one of the empty seats. "I recommend you not sit in that seat." a high- pitched voice said behind Izumi. Izumi turned her head. "And why shouldn't I?" Izumi said, trying not to sound annoyed. But her voice failed to keep the annoyance out of itself and the girl that spoke to Izumi shrank into her seat and whispered nasty things to her friend. The bus stopped and the doors opened. The whole bus went silent, which Izumi thought was bizarre. Then she realized why. The ignorant, blue-eyed boy that Izumi met in the Chinese restaurant coolly walked into the bus. Two other people entered the bus, too. They all looked like they were from the same family. Izumi shrank into her seat, so the blue-eyed boy wouldn't see her. In fact, everyone sank into their seats. Something about that guy intimidated everyone, even Izumi, who didn't even know why she was reacting this way. The intimidating boy stopped beside Izumi's seat. "What are you doing in my seat?" he asked in his emotionless voice. "Errr... the last time I checked bus seats were for everyone to sit in and not for only one person to sit in. So, you could either sit with me or sit somewhere else, 'cause I ain't moving!" Izumi said bravely. Everyone, even the bus driver, held their breaths. Kouji just shrugged and sat beside Izumi. He tried to keep his distance from her. For the rest of the bus ride, everyone whispered among themselves. The boy and Izumi occasionally heard "Wow, that blond girl really got Kouji Minamoto!" "So, your name's Kouji?" Izumi quietly said, breaking the silence between them. "Yeah, but why would you care?" Kouji rudely replied. Izumi was taken aback. "Excuse me? I was just trying to start some conversation but noooo... YOU have to rude! You know, it's one thing to be rude in a restaurant, but to be rude to someone that you'll know for a long time, and believe me you will, is another!" Izumi cried out. Kouji was shocked that someone would talk to him in that manner. For once in Kouji's life, he wasn't superior. He slouched into his seat and muttered an apology. "I can't hear you!!!" Izumi said loudly. "I said, gomen nasai!" Kouji said a little more loudly. His voice wasn't so emotionless that time. It had a slight sound of defeat ringing in it. Everyone stared at the pitiful scene, some people stood up to get a better view and even the bus driver took a few glimpses to see poor Kouji Minamoto defeated.  
  
When the bus stopped in front of the Elementary School, all the children burst through the bus doors and united with their friends whom took a different bus. The girl that entered the bus with Kouji and the other boy that looked like Koujo's twin ran to Izumi. "Hello." Izumi greeted the girl. "Hello, my name's Amaya Minamoto." the girl said. Izumi smiled. "My name's Izumi Orimoto." Izumi replied. "I'm really sorry about my brother's behavior. His gaze always petrifies people. I mean that he always frightens others and they bow down to him. They just can't stand up for themselves. The only people that could handle him are me and my brother Kouichi." Amaya explained. "Oh, so that's the other guy you entered the bus with." Izumi said. "Yeah, he's Kouji's twin. I'm the youngest by one year, so I'm seven." Amaya explained. "Wonderful, I'll probably be in the same grade as your brother." Izumi muttered under her breath. "In most cases, you would. I feel sorry for you, but I can't do anything about it. Anyway, I think you should follow me to the back of the school. They sort out the classes there." Amaya said. She grabbed Izumi's hand and pulled her towards the back of the school. They arrived just in time to hear the first few students to be called to their classes. They waited a while when they heard Amaya's name. "Amaya Minamoto! Grade 2, Mrs. Hanayori!" the principal called out in the megaphone. "Well, that's my name. You're on your own now, so listen carefully." Amaya said in a serious tone, "When they call your name, push through the crowd until you get to the teachers with signs in their hands. They'll have the grade numbers and the teachers' names on them. Just try to find the sign with your grade and teacher on it and line up at the back." Izumi took in all this information and nodded. Amaya hurried through the crowd and lined up at her proper class. After a while, Izumi's name was called after Kouji's name. Izumi prayed that she was not to be in his class. "Izumi Orimoto! Grade 3, Mrs. Ryuzaki!" the ampliphied voice of the principal called out. "Wonderful." Izumi muttered. That was the class Kouji and his brother was in. She had managed to find her way through the dense crowd and she lined up directly behind Kouji. They both pretended that the one and other weren't there.  
  
After all the sorting was done and the school yard was empty, the classes were being assigned seats. They weren't given the privilege to sit where they wish to sit. Ten to fifteen people were already assigned seats when Kouji was assigned his seat and two others were assigned seats before Izumi was assigned hers. "Izumi Orimoto, the seat right next to Kouji Minamoto." Mrs. Ryuzaki said, pointing exactly to where the seat was. 'Just my luck.' Izumi thought sarcastically. She swiftly took her seat next to Kouji. After all the seat assigning was finished, the whole school was to go to the gymnasium. There, Izumi saw all of the teachers. They introduced all of the teachers, the principal and all of the new children. The principal, Ms. Kouchou, a young, beautiful, dark-haired woman, gave them a long, yet informable lecture about the rules, improvements from last year and the school itself. After all of that, the students and teachers returned to their classes. All of the students sat in their seats and Mrs. Ryuzaki spoke. "I will hand out these small papers with a speachbox drawn on them. You could write anything you'd like to write about yourself." Mrs. Ryuzaki explained. She was well-aged. She had blue hair held back by a white headband. Her eyes were greenish-blue and she wore a blue thick strapped tanktop, a black skirt and black boots. She passed out all of the papers and the students wrote about themselves.  
  
The whole day went by quickly. They pretty much spent the whole day introducing themselves and doing easy activity sheets. Finally, the bell rang and the class was dismissed. While Izumi was packing her back, she dropped a book. She was about to bend down to retrieve it, but someone got it for her. She looked up to see who it was. She was surprised to see Kouji holding her book in front of her. "Aren't you gonna take it?" Kouji asked. Izumi snapped out of her bewilderment, smiled and took the book back. "Arigatou gozaimasou!" Izumi graciously said. For the first time for the whole day, she saw Kouji smile. She felt something conjuring up at the pit of her stomach, but didn't know what it was. She just shrugged it off and continued to pack her bag.  
  
The bus ride wasn't as bad as the first. Kouji and Izumi still kept their distance and silence, but something felt different. There wasn't any tension or feeling of hatred in the atmosphere. Instead, an easy, almost friendly feeling flowed through the noisy bus. Whenever Izumi simply glimpsed at Kouji, a warm feeling bubbled at the pit of her stomach and her heart beated a little faster. Ten minutes later, Izumi departed from the bus and entered her house. "Mom, I'm back!" Izumi called out. "Izumi, dear! How was your first day of school?" Izumi's mother called out while she jogged down the hall. "It was great. I made a few new friends. Even the rude boy that I met at the restaurant's sister is my friend." Izumi said happily. She and her mother had a long conversation about the day. Finally, they stopped and Izumi ran to her room. She took out a tiny jar that contained all the fortunes she ever had. She pulled out the one she got last. "Love is in your future." she read aloud once again. She slightly realized something and she put away her fortunes. She ran downstairs and consulted her mother. "What is it you need to know, honey?" her mother asked. "I know this may sound a little off tune but... what does love feel like?" Izumi shyly asked. Her mother's blue eyes widened and she told Izumi to sit down beside her. "Well, it's a warm and fuzzy feeling flowing through your stomach. Your heart beats faster every time you look at the one you love and you have an undoubtful urge to be with the one you love forever." Izumi's mother explained. Izumi swallowed this information nervously. "Why did you want to know this?" her mother asked worriedly. "Oh, I was just wondering." Izumi said. Her mother just nodded and Izumi ran back upstairs. 


	3. Warming Up

The Fortune

Written by: Zakuro Fujiwara

Chapter 3: Warming Up

AN: I'm sorry for not updating in a very long time. I'm pretty busy in school and such, but since its summer vacation, I can finally write! Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

Kouji sat at the edge of his bed and stared out the window. 'Why am I suddenly so happy?' Kouji thought desperately. He actually helped out the new girl. She made him smile, and surprisingly, she broke through his barrier. It had been a long day, thus he grew restless from thinking so much and decided to go get a snack.

He emerged from his navy blue room and was just about to take a step onto the stairs when he was pulled backwards into a royal blue room. "WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING!?!?" Kouji yelled at Amaya, who had pulled him into her room. "I just wanted to talk to you about something." Amaya said, trying not to hide her huge grin, making the corners of her mouth to quiver. "I saw you and Izumi today!" Amaya cried out. Kouji just stared at her blankly. "So what?" he said coolly. "She opened you up, didn't she?" Amaya asked slyly, her huge grin now planted on face. Kouji glared at her and he exited the room. Once he left, Amaya burst out laughing, unable to stop and practically crying of so much laughter.

Kouji entered the kitchen thinking about how crazy his sister was. "She is the weirdest girl that I've ever known." Kouji thought aloud. "What girl?" Kouichi said, stepping into the kitchen. "Our sister, that's who." Kouji said. "Riiight." Kouichi said slyly. "Okay, how come you two think I like Izumi!?!?" Kouji cried out loud, finally getting the picture. "I never said you liked her." Kouichi said grinning with curiosity. Kouji shot him a death glare and stormed out of the house. "I' M TAKING A WALK!!!" he yelled out and slammed the door behind him. "Where's Kouji going?" Mrs. Minamoto asked Kouichi when she arrived on the main floor. "He's just gonna take a refreshing walk." Kouichi replied. The Minamoto children's mother ran out onto the porch and called out to Kouji, "Don't forget your street safety and stranger safety!!!" Kouji just rolled his eyes and marched on.

Izumi had told her mother that she was going to take a short walk. Her mother wanted to come with her, but she reminded her of the criminal records around there. In fact, in their neighbourhood, there were no records of felonies, murders, ransom etcetera.

Izumi walked along the straight sidewalk while looking at the ground. She never noticed a fast-paced figure storming towards her. She and the other person collided with each other, making the other fall backwards. "Hey! Watch it!!!" Izumi yelled out rudely. "Well you're the politest person that I've ever met." The other person said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Izumi recognized this voice and her head shot up. "Kouji! Sorry about that! I didn't notice you coming down the sidewalk." Izumi apologised. "I didn't notice you either, I was too angry." He said. Izumi stood up and offered her hand. Kouji just ignored it and stood up by himself. 'Jeez, he could at least accept my help!' she thought in an annoyed matter. "Well, why were you so angry?" Izumi asked Kouji, eager for a simple conversation. Kouji thought about what his answer should be. "Amaya and Kouichi were just getting on my nerves." Kouji lied. Izumi nodded and gestured for him to follow her.

They arrived at the local park. A few younger children were crawling on the jungle gym and hanging off the monkey bars. Izumi and Kouji sat on separate swings and started to push themselves back and forth. "Why were you walking by yourself?" Kouji asked Izumi without the tone of asking a question. "I just wanted to get out of the house and away from my mother for a while." She replied honestly. Kouji just nodded and picked up speed on his swing. Izumi stared in awe at how high Kouji was. 'That looks awfully dangerous...' Izumi thought to herself.

A few minutes later, Izumi and Kouji walked back to their own houses. "Bye, Kouji!" Izumi called out. Kouji didn't answer. 'I swear he's getting on my nerves with his silence!' Izumi ranted in her head, 'Then again, he has become more open since this morning. Maybe it's how he usually is...' She just shrugged and skipped off to her house.

AN: I know it's really short, but I was running out of ideas. I need to get to the next chapter!


	4. Last Chance

The Fortune

Written by: Fujiwara Zakuro

Chapter 4: Last Chance

AN: I'm on a roll! I've written two chapters for one story in one week and the first chapter of my soon-to-be uploaded story (Opposites Attract).

Two years later, it was grade five and autumn approached winter. Izumi finally accepted the fact that she liked Kouji. She'd sit on the bench facing the soccer field with her friends and watch Kouji play soccer. She had to admit, he was pretty cute and quite good at playing soccer. 'Why do I have to be so pathetic? He can't possibly like me! We barely even talk! That was only grade three that we actually interacted with each other...' Izumi thought sadly to herself. The other thing was that they'd grown farther apart from each other since they no longer sat together or were in the same class. And if she did try to talk to him, she'd look at the ground and stutter. 'Why... just why?' Izumi yelled inside herself. "Um, Izumi, you look kinda tense. Is there something wrong?" Amaya asked her best friend. "No no, it's nothing to worry about!" Izumi insisted. "You're thinking about my brother again... aren't you?" Amaya asked Izumi slyly. Izumi sighed, "Yes... I am." "Well, I honestly don't think that you should be so shy! I'm sure that he likes you, too!" Amaya tried to comfort Izumi. Izumi nodded, but just stared out into space and let herself get lost in her thoughts.

He had become more open at the end of grade three. Izumi had finally gotten fed up with his unsociability and told him to open up to more people. He did as Izumi told him, but from then on he got in trouble a lot. Izumi smiled at this memory.

Izumi entered her house. "Mom, I'm home!" she called out. "Hi, honey! Come into the family room. We need to... talk." Her mother replied. Izumi obeyed her mother and sat on the floor of their family room. She laid her bag beside her. "You know that we were selling our house, right?" her mother asked Izumi. Izumi nodded and said, "It's supposed to be sold by spring or later, right?" Her mother nodded. "But the problem is that there are already buyers that are giving us an excellent price..." her mother began. "NO! We can't move now! It's too early!" Izumi screamed. She was on the verge of crying. She didn't want to leave her home. She loved it too much. Her mother opened her mouth to speak, but Izumi already ran upstairs to her room and flung herself on her bed. She cried really hard and lay there with her teddy bear.

Everytime her parents spoke to her about moving, she'd cry. She also almost cried when she told Amaya and her other friends about moving. "Oh my gosh, Izumi... we'll miss you!" one of her friends said. Even though her parents said that it wasn't completely decided that they were moving, Izumi knew that they were lying. Of course they'd move and ruin her life. And by the time it was December, they finalized the move, making Izumi only have until Christmas Vacation to stay in her beloved neighborhood. One of her other best friends was in another country during December, so she wrote a note to her and put it in her friend's bin. While writing that note, she remembered about Kouji. She opened up her jar of fortunes and fished out her very special fortune: Love is in your future. She wasn't so sure if she knew who it was referring to as her "love", but she had a hunch. She read it over a few times and that ripped a piece of loose-leaf paper out of her binder and scribbled down a short note to Kouji. She folded it neatly into an envelope and wrote down on the back "Amaya, give the note in this envelope to Kouji."

The next day, Amaya found the envelope in her bin and knew who it was that gave it to her. She gave it to her brother during lunch and told him it was pretty important. "Who's it from?" he asked her, but she just ran down the hall. He saw her get stopped by the hall monitor. "YOU! STOP RUNNING!" the hall monitor cried out. Amaya skidded to a stop and accepted the written ticket from the monitor. Kouji just shook his head. 'Silly kid...' he thought.

He got in class and opened the note. It said.

_Dear Kouji,_

_I never thought this to be possible, but I like you... a lot. Well, I don't really know how this happened, but I just thought you ought to know. And I wanted to tell you before I went to my new school. Have a great winter!_

The letter was signed with a signature. He examined it for a while and finally recognized it. "Izumi..." he murmured to himself. "Kouji! What is that neat thing you got there?" Takuya burst out behind Kouji. He snatched it from his hands and read it. He burst out laughing. "You gotta find this girl!" Takuya cried out. "What girl?" Kouji's other friends arrived at the scene. Takuya passed the letter around the group. Kouji got aggravated. He snatched it from Takuya and said, "It's Izumi Orimoto. Help me find her in the other class." Kouji said. Takuya followed Kouji into the other classroom.

"So, did you give it to him?" one of Izumi's friends asked her curiously. Izumi nodded and blushed. She took a spoonful of noodles into her mouth. She saw Kouji and Takuya at the door. 'Oh no...' she thought. She swallowed her noodles forcefully. "Hide me... please!" she whispered frantically. Her friends looked at the door and knew why. They stuffed her under the table.

"Have you seen Izumi?" Kouji asked a girl named Madison. "No... I don't remember seeing her. Go ask those guys over there." Madison pointed towards a group of boy's right next to Izumi's group.

"No... he's getting closer!" Izumi whispered. "Run fast, Izumi!" her friends said. Izumi calmly came out from under the table and ran past her friends.

Takuya saw Izumi from the corner of his eye. "Kouji, I saw Izumi. Wait here, she'll be too nervous to talk if you are there." Takuya reasoned out. He marched towards Izumi. "Hi Izumi." Takuya said. "H-hi." Izumi stuttered. "Did you happen to write Kouji a note on white paper with blue lines...?" Takuya began and at that moment, Kouji showed up. "And it looks like that?" Takuya finished. Izumi found this stupidly funny and giggled. "Well...?" Takuya asked impatiently. Izumi became nervous again. She conjured up all of her courage and said...

AN: MUAHAHAHAHA! The evil cliff-hanger! Stay tuned for the next chapter and find out if Izumi lies or tells the truth!


	5. Waiting for 2 Years

The Fortune

Written by: Zakuro Fujiwara

Chapter 5: Waiting for 2 Years

Izumi conjured up all of her courage and said, "No." That one simple word was full of a fake annoyance. Takuya grinned slyly and just nodded and said, "Okay, I just wanted to know, because Kouji's sister gave that to him at the beginning of lunch and I was just wondering who gave it to him." Izumi put on a face that said 'Go away' although it wasn't very good.

Izumi went back to her seat and finished her lunch and granola bar. She was taking her garbage to the garbage can when one of her friends came up to her. "There's someone at the door for you." She whispered. Izumi threw her stuff away and went to the door. Takuya was there. "Kouji told me to give this to you... for some reason he's too lazy to give it to you himself." Takuya snickered. He handed her a still plastic covered candy cane. Izumi took it with a shaking hand and right at that moment, Amaya arrived and Takuya left laughing so loudly. "SHUT UP!!!" some boy in another class told him. Takuya ignored him and laughed all the way into his own classroom.

Amaya and Izumi sat with their friends. Izumi had set the candy cane on the table. "Better check it for poisoning!" Amaya joked and laughed at herself. Izumi chuckled and murmured dreamily, "Yeah, I'd better." She left the candy cane on the table and totally forgot about it when she left the school. She only remembered about it when she entered her house. "Dammit..." she muttered.

_**A year and a half later**_

During the past year and a half, Izumi made some really good friends, few of which were going to the same middle school as her. What made her happier during the move was that she found out that she'd be going to the same middle school as her other friends in her old school. Two of her three VERY best friends, which happened to be twins named Reena and Ariza, were joining her in middle school, but her other VERY best friend was going to be separated. During graduation, many people cried of joy and sadness.

_Flashback_

They cried of joy because they finally graduated and they cried of sadness because some were to be separated in middle school. "We'll miss you, Lianya!" Izumi and the twins said to their best friend. "I'll miss you guys, too!" Lianya said.

_End Flashback_

Now it was middle school and Izumi was excited to be there. She had a wonderful reunion with her old friends and her old friends met with her new friends. She had seen Kouji, but didn't have the guts to speak to him. They had 10 minutes to talk among themselves until the speaker came on and the classes were sorted out. Kouji and Izumi were in the same homeroom. "It's déjà-vu!" Izumi muttered to herself.

They had settled into their homerooms and met with their teacher. Izumi was placed right next to Kouji. "Man, this is a **_serious_** case of déjà-vu!" Izumi muttered again. "It's nice to see you after two years." Kouji greeted Izumi. He flashed a charming smile making Izumi sure that she'd just melt. Izumi had grown more courageous now since she knew that he must like her a bit. "It's nice to see you, too, although it's really been one year and a half." Izumi corrected him. Kouji just laughed and sat in his seat. 'Oh my gosh, I could just die from his beautiful laugh!' Izumi thought dreamily.

Takuya had seen the friendly flirting and chuckled to himself. "How precious..." he muttered to himself and laughed quietly. Kouji, with his awesome ears said, "What's precious?" Takuya was taken aback. He was sure that he said that quietly. "Nothing that concerns you!" Takuya laughed. Kouji just gave him a weird look and just shrugged.

The bell rang. It was their break time. Izumi rushed to her friends in the field. "Hi you guys!" Izumi greeted. All of her friends returned her greeting. "You know, I saw you and Kouji flirting in homeroom this morning!" her friend named Lili said cunningly. Izumi became nervous, and it was written all over her face. Reena nudged her. "What, I'm just curious!" Lili protested. "Well, actually, he just said that it was nice to see me after two years." Izumi replied shyly and blushed. "Oh that is definitely the beginning of flirting!" Monica, another of Izumi's friends, said. They all giggled innocently, besides, what would you expect from naïve 12 year-olds that just fantasize about an intimate relationship with the one they love. Although Izumi never really heard those three simple, yet delightful and disturbing at the same time, words. Izumi sighed and told her friends that she'd just take a short alone-time walk around the field. She felt like a helpless kindergartener, since she was now in the lowest grade in middle school.

She explored the lush, green field of middle school. She found a tree stump to sit on and settled onto it. She noticed a soccer field that was being use by the eighth graders. "Hello Izumi." A familiar voice said from behind her. Izumi practically shot out of her seat. She turned around panicky. She noticed that it was just Kouji behind her. "Oh, it's just you... heh." Izumi laughed nervously. Kouji chuckled. "Yeah, it's just me." Kouji said. Izumi stopped laughing and sat on the large tree stump. "Want to sit?" Izumi offered the space beside her. "Sure, why not?" Kouji accepted. He smiled at her and sat down beside her. Izumi was sure she would die just from looking at his sweet smile. She tried to avoid his gaze while he talked to her in fear that he'd notice her blushing. "You know, I've been waiting for two years to tell you something..." Kouji began.

The bell rang before Kouji could finish. "We'll be late for our classes if we don't hurry." Kouji changed the subject. Izumi just nodded disdainfully. She looked so forward to hearing what Kouji had to say. "Come on, Izumi!" Kouji called out as he began walking. Izumi snapped out of her thoughts. "I'm coming...!" Izumi responded. She got up, dusted herself off and ran towards Kouji. 'If only you knew...' Izumi thought sadly.

They arrived in their next class, which was Physical Education, or more so known as Phys. Ed. Their instructor was a tall and lean woman. She looked very athletic and looked in great shape. She had short brown curly hair and had soft blue eyes. Her name was Ms. Marini. "Hello, class. Today, we'll be doing some fun recreational stuff instead of having a normal lesson. We'll be doing some partner activities which include rally." Ms. Marini said. "And I'd also like it if you called me by my first name, Nari. For some strange reason, I feel younger if you all call me that." She laughed. And so the lesson began.

"Go, Izumi!" one of her teammates cheered as she ran to the other side of the gigantic gymnasium. She'd touched the wall and sped back to her team. She touched Kouji's hand and he sped off. Izumi had slightly blushed when she touched his hand. A few of her teammates saw this and whispered, "Go for it Izumi!" Izumi just gave them a weird look and went to the back of the line and sat down. "Go, Kouji!!!" she cried out.

Kouji heard his favorite voice say "Go Kouji!" It made him go faster, making him finish off his team's victory. His team cheered and a few gave him a high-five. He sat behind Izumi while his team waited for the other teams to finish. "Congratulations on winning!" Izumi smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Kouji went warm on his face and touched his cheek. He smiled at her and whispered a thank you. Izumi nodded and blushed furiously once she realized what she had just done. "I-I-I'm sorry." Izumi apologized with difficulty. "No, no, no, it's okay." Kouji assured her.

Lunch period arrived and the bell rang. The class ate their lunches and went outside for a break period. Izumi told her friends that she needed some time to think alone. They all understood what she meant and nodded. Izumi went to the large tree stump, which she decided was her alone-time and thinking place from then on. She sat on the stump and thought about Kouji and how she felt. 'How do I describe how I feel... lo-love-LOVESICK!" she thought in her head. She buried her head in her arms. Suddenly, she felt a light tap on her shoulder. "Who is it?" she asked in a muffled voice. "It's Kouji." Kouji replied. Izumi's head shot up from her arms. "I've been wanting to tell you this for so long... but I think I've fallen for you." Kouji confessed. Izumi was so touched by this. "I think I've fallen for you, as well, Kouji-kun!" Izumi cried. They both smiled happily. "Let's not get too serious until we're a little older, though." Izumi cleverly planned. Kouji nodded and said, "Let's just stay as close friends."

AN: I think this is the longest chapter that I've written so far! YAY!


	6. A Promise to be Kept

The Fortune

Written by: Fujiwara Zakuro

Chapter 6: A Promise to be Kept

After that incident, Kouji and Izumi would hang out together at many times. They'd share each other's secrets and tell each other their problems. Izumi really trusted Kouji and Kouji knew he could trust Izumi, as well.

Finally, after three long years, Kouji and Izumi decided to become more than just friends. They both knew that their feelings for each other were growing stronger and that they could bear it no longer.

The Minamoto residence's phone rang. "Hello?" Amaya answered the phone. "Hey, Amaya! Put Kouji on the phone!" Izumi excitedly cried. "KOUJI, IZUMI'S ON THE PHONE!!!" Amaya yelled out loudly. Kouji practically skipped all of the steps of the stairs and grabbed the phone from Amaya. "Well, jeez, you could at least say thank you!" Amaya grumbled. She ran upstairs and slammed her door. "Amaya, don't slam your door!" Kouichi gently told Amaya. "Yeah, yeah!" was all Amaya said.

Apparently, Izumi called to see if Kouji wanted to go on a date. Of course he accepted. He simply chose a pair of black jeans and a navy blue shirt. Instead of his regular coat he wore, he wore a black leather coat. He obviously wore a bandana, but not his usual blue and yellow-striped bandana. Instead, he wore a grey one with a Japanese kanji sewn onto it.

Meanwhile, Izumi was stressing on what she should wear. "Oh my God! I'm such a mess! How could I ever show myself at a date like this!?!?" Izumi cried out frantically. She ravaged through her closet and found a nice, off-white skirt with a nicely stitched design on the rim. She put on a tight halter, lavender top and found a few silver bracelets and a pair of earrings to add a bit of flavor. She pulled back her hair in a high ponytail and left a few neat strands adrift on her face. She had no need for cosmetics because her face was already lush with color. She admired herself in the mirror and remembered that it wasn't going to be a warm night. So she found well-designed, white ¾ sleeved sweater and a pair of white, leather knee-high boots. With all her preparations done, she grabbed her violet purse, which held her wallet and cell-phone, and entered the passenger's seat with her mother.

"You know, Izumi... I was your age when I had my first date" Mrs. Orimoto began, "The guy I went out with was very charming. He was such a gentleman, but he turned out to be a backstabbing liar." Izumi stared at her mother with a weird expression and a hint of curiosity flickered in her emerald eyes. Her mother saw this and quickly added, "Now, I'm not trying to put you against Kouji, but I just want you to know that he might not turn out the way you think he is." Izumi nodded. She understood what her mother meant. She knew Kouji so well that she could write a life's biography about him, but she didn't know that whatever he told her were lies. She sighed. 'I just hope he's not one of those guys...' Izumi thought hopefully.

Izumi's mother dropped her off at Vicci's Buffet. It was a casual all-you-can-eat buffet. "Izumi, over here!" Kouji called. Izumi turned on her heel and found Kouji standing very handsomely by the wall. She smiled and ran over to him. "Hello, Kouji-kun! You're looking very attractive, tonight!" Izumi sweetly greeted. "You do, too, Izumi-chan!" Kouji commented. Izumi giggled and brushed her lips over Kouji's. "Thanks." She said. Kouji just stared at her in a bewildered expression. His mind screamed about how beautiful Izumi was. Izumi rolled her emerald green eyes and laughed. "Come on, Kouji-kun!" she said and pulled him into the buffet.

"Table for two, please!" Izumi asked the hostess at the front counter. The hostess had strawberry blond hair with red streaks that was pulled up in a neat bun. She wore a black vest with the "Vicci" logo sewn onto it. A white blouse was worn underneath the vest and she wore formal black pants. She gestured for them to follow her and seated them by a window. "Should we eat or talk first?" Izumi asked. "I'm starving!" Kouji exclaimed. Izumi giggled and said, "Okay, well I am, too. Let's have a nice conversation while eating." With that said, they left the table and attacked the buffet.

They returned at the table with **huge** piles of Italian cuisine. "I feel like a pig!" Izumi exclaimed. "Don't worry. I'm eating more than you!" Kouji laughed. They both laughed and ate their meals. For a while, they'd talk about their personal issues and a few humorous events that happened to them or people they knew. They laughed for a while until Izumi abruptly stopped.

"Um... Kouji, I need to discuss something with you that is very, and I mean _very, _important." She said in a serious tone. Kouji nodded. "If you and I want this relationship to work, you need to promise me that you'll be faithful and stay faithful." Izumi said. Kouji laughed right after Izumi finished her sentence. "What's so funny?" Izumi frowned. "Nothing... it's just that you sound unbelievably serious!" Kouji exclaimed. This made Izumi's frown fade away. "Well, will you promise me?" she asked, her emerald orbs set in a pleading stance. Kouji stopped laughing and immediately had the most sincere and caring expression he could ever have. "Of course I'll stay faithful to you, my Izumi-chan! I will never lie, cheat or do anything to hurt you! That's a promise." He sincerely told her.

Izumi's eyes began to water. She pushed their plates aside and leaned over the table. She grabbed Kouji's jacket and pulled him towards her... and kissed him passionately. "I love you, Kouji-kun!" Izumi whispered into Kouji's mouth. "I love you, too, Izumi-chan!" Kouji whispered against her lips. The wondrous sight lasted for a few seconds. "Not now and not here." Kouji said in a low voice, his face still very close to Izumi's. Izumi nodded and sat back into her seat. Her cheeks were flushed and a few messy strand of hair flew adrift on her face. Kouji's bandana was wrinkled and crooked on his, now messy, black hair. His jacket had somehow fallen off him. He picked it up and put it back on. They fixed themselves and commenced with finishing their food in silence.

Later that night, Izumi and Kouji took a walk in the local park. It was a chilly night, so Izumi snuggled close to Kouji while they strolled through the dimly lit park. They found a bench and sat close together. "I wish that this night would never end..." Izumi dreamily said. Kouji nodded. Kouji took her chin in his hand and lifted it, so that her face faced his. They both closed their eyes and kissed more passionately than the first time. It was wilder; Izumi's hands roaming through Kouji's black tresses and Kouji's lips pushing harder onto Izumi's. That night, when they parted and went back home, Izumi fell asleep with Kouji in her dreams.

AN: So, how was that chapter? I know it was a bit mushy and a bit too romantic, but I just **had** to put in the good stuff of the date in there!!!


	7. The Meanest

The Fortune

Written by: Fujiwara Zakuro

Chapter 7: The Meanest

As Izumi and Kouji grew, their relationship became stronger and stronger.

Kouji was all that Izumi wanted. At some point, a very nasty and sick-minded teenage boy tried to _force _Izumi into making out with him. Luckily, Kouji was there to protect Izumi.

**Age 17 – 10:45 PM - In Alleyway**

"Come on Izumi, just one kiss!" said the perverted boy that was pinning Izumi to the wall. Izumi shook her head and tried to scream, but the boy covered her mouth with his, forcing his tongue into her mouth. Izumi's eyes widened and she bit his tongue, making him retreat. "You b!" he cried out. He pushed her a little higher on the wall and was about to hurt her when suddenly...

"What are you doing picking on girls?" a very icy voice said. The voice came from a boy at one end of the alleyway. He was flashing a flashlight in their direction. The other boy that was pinning Izumi against the wall went pale. He let go of Izumi and at that exact moment, Kouji, the boy with the flashlight, showed himself. Kouji grabbed the boy from the collar of his jacket and rammed him into the wall. "Don't **ever **touch Izumi, you got that?!?!" he yelled furiously. The boy whimpered and nodded. Kouji let him go and immediately, the boy ran away.

Kouji turned to Izumi, who was just standing there with a shocked expression. "Are you okay?" Kouji asked her. Izumi just began to sob and ran into his arms. "Th-th-thank you, Kouji-kun! I was so scared!" she said between sobs. Kouji opened his mouth to say something, but Izumi gave him a long kiss before he could say anything.

**End scene**

So there you have it, Kouji was always there for Izumi and she was always there for him. Everyone in all of Tokyo High was jealous of their perfect relationship. And when they began college, Izumi, Kouji and most of their friends stayed on campus. During the first day, Kouji and Izumi came separately, so no one they knew suspected a relationship between the two. Immediately, all the girls came rushing to Kouji.

"Oh my God! What is your name?" a brunette asked. "Kouji." Kouji simply replied while not looking at her. Many other girls followed him and asked him some questions. Kouji just answered them with two words or less. Suddenly, all the girls went silent and moved out of the way, making a perfect path towards Kouji. A beautiful girl with black hair and green eyes and freckles stood at the end of the "passage". She walked with a perfect posture towards Kouji. "I'm Carla, what's your name?" she said in a seductive voice. "Kouji." Kouji said as simply as he said to the first girl. Carla kept on flirting with him, but he payed no interest in her.

"So, do you have a girlfriend?" Carla finally asked. "Yes, and here she comes." Kouji replied. He gestured to Izumi, who was storming towards Kouji and the girls. "Hi Kouji-kun, who is this girl you have here?" Izumi said the most obvious fake sweetness in her voice. "Some girl named Carla, Izumi-chan." He replied. Carla shot Izumi a dirty look and stomped off with her perfect posture. Two other girls followed her. "I wonder what her problem is." Kouji said. Izumi rolled her eyes and laughed.

By the end of the morning... not even the end of the morning, actually, Izumi and Kouji had found out that Carla Sanrini was the most popular girl in school... not to mention the meanest. All the boys wanted to go out with her even a few of the taken ones. When Carla found out that the new hottie (Kouji) already had a girlfriend, she began devising her meanest plot yet.

It took a couple of weeks for Carla to perfect her scheme. At the end of classes, she asked Kouji if he could come with her for a second... while Izumi wasn't there, of course. She brought him to the back of the school and immediately began kissing him. Her eyes were closed and her arms were wrapped around his neck. Kouji closed his eyes in disgust and put his hands on her shoulders to push her off when suddenly...

AN: MWAHAHAHAHA!!! The evil cliffhanger! I know it was short, but I just _had _to make the suspense kill you! Anyway, since I find this cliffhanger my best yet, I want... no make that NEED 5 complete and well written reviews! If I don't get them, I'm not continuing this story... and you will NEVER find out what happens!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!


	8. Misunderstood

**Here's a little recap on what happened that was VITALLY important in the last chapter: Kouji followed Carla to the back of the school, when suddenly, she kissed him. **

The Fortune

Written by: Fujiwara Zakuro

Chapter 8: Misunderstood

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!?" a very familiar and angry voice cried out. Carla grinned; her plan worked. Kouji pushed Carla away very forcefully and turned towards a fuming blonde. "It's not what you think!" Kouji pathetically insisted. "Oh, I bet it's EXACTLY what I think!" Izumi yelled. She stormed towards the front of the school with Kouji following her. Plenty of curious eyes followed Izumi and Kouji. They would hear the whole argument.

"Izumi, wait! She _forced _me to kiss her!" Kouji cried. Izumi just snorted in disapproval and kept on walking. She was in tears now and began to sob a bit. Kouji heard those sobs and kept on fruitlessly attempting to earn Izumi's forgiveness.

"Just let me explain!" Kouji insisted. "Oh great, explain why you had to go and cheat on me!" Izumi yelled. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were tear-stained. "But..." Kouji began, but was quickly interrupted by Izumi. "Why couldn't you have just broken up with me? Why did you just have to go and cheat on me? You cheating on me is worse than breaking up!!!" Izumi debated. "But I _wasn't _cheating on you!" Kouji persisted. "Yeah right, you kissing Carla is definitely not cheating!" Izumi said between sobs. Kouji was about to speak, but Izumi just turned on her heel and walked off. He followed her yet again.

"Izumi, stop... this is ridicules!" Kouji cried out. Izumi didn't reply. She stopped sobbing and stopped walking. Her head was lowered and Kouji could have sworn tears were falling onto the dry ground. He stepped up to her and spun her around. He grabbed her by her shoulders and kissed her with all her had. Izumi almost fought against him, but instead barely kissed him back. She was still crying. When Kouji released, Izumi just painfully smiled and said, "Goodbye Kouji. Don't try to take me back... I'm leaving you." Her heart ached and so did Kouji's. She stopped her attempt to smile and ran towards the dorms.

For a week, Izumi cried. During classes, she'd only stare at her paper blankly and work at a fast pace. She never spoke to Kouji or even at least look at him. When she spoke to her friends, she wouldn't have her bright enthusiasm as she normally would. Countless times did her friends tell her to get over Kouji and Izumi tried. But Everytime she thought about him, she would burst into tears. Those were dramatic moments, and eventually, her friends gave up.

As for Kouji, he had the strongest hate for Carla. Once, she tried to go up to him and talk to him, but he just told her to go away. This made Carla mad and she told him off, but he just yelled back at her. She was so shocked at this, and so were many other people. "Why'd you do that to Carla? You should just go for her since Izumi's gone." Takuya said. When he saw the angry expression on Kouji's face, he quickly added, "You don't have to do it. I'm just saying that it might help you get over Izumi!"

The next year, Amaya joined them at the college. She quickly learnt about the infamous break-up and tried to bring them back together, but her attempts were useless. She was very upset because she _really _wanted to be the aunt of Kouji and Izumi's children. She also confronted Carla and almost beat her up, but just decided to verbally insult her.

For all of the years of college, Izumi and Kouji never spoke or even interacted with each other. It was as if they were inexistent to each other. Obviously, Izumi never forgave Kouji. She knew she'd have to accept the fact that he was out of her life, but she couldn't let go. It was as if her love for him hung by a thread... a very tight thread.

AN: No, the story is not over. There will be an epilogue... probably a short one. There will also be 3 more sequels. If you want me to come up with the sequels, just review.

PS: I'm so sorry for taking longer than I wanted to. I couldn't find time to go on the computer.


	9. Epilogue

The Fortune

Written by: Fujiwara Zakuro

Epilogue

As college passed, Izumi and Kouji became adults and moved on. They still remembered each other and never would forget each other. Kouji began dating other women after two years as well as Izumi. But Izumi could never have a long term... or even short term relationship with another man.

Kouji became a famous guitarist for a rock band and Izumi became a fashion designer. She often made dresses and suits for celebrities and even suits for business men. They'd often see each other on television, magazines or newspapers, but when ever they did they'd rip the page out or flip through the channels.

Izumi completely forgot about the fortune after a while, but one day she found it when she was packing her furniture to move into a new apartment. "Love is in your future..." Izumi mumbled. She felt tears creeping to her eyes.

"Why do I still have feelings for him?" she asked herself. 'You feel this way because he was the only one for you. That fortune is all you need to remember.' Her conscience told her. Izumi nodded. It was true, she could never love anyone as much as she had loved Kouji. "I have to find him..." Izumi thought aloud. She decided that she'd leave right after she got all of her boxes in the new apartment.

She would stay true to her word, and she would find him no matter what... even if it takes years.

AN: I know that it's short, but I really want to start with the sequel. After I finish the whole Fortune series, then I'll work on the other stories. Sorry to anyone who looked forward to "Can You Hear Them?" and "Opposites Attract", but I can't lose my perfect plot for the Fortune series.

PS: Thanks to all my reviewers!


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